New Snake Rack!

[Chuckels]

This thing took me about 3 hours to build, and cost around $55 to make. I saw plans for some that had the same idea, but I took this into my own hands and made it from the mush between the ears. Still needs to be tweekd/peekd, but overall I think it will get the job done. I cant afford the $500 racks with the Hamburg show coming up!

[RichsBallPythons]

If thats pegboard on the top for ventilation, you will have issues.

One too much ventilation will give you humidity issues like tanks.

Second peg boards fall apart easier when wet and mold easier, which is why most use it as the back or sides for the racks not the shelving

[Chuckels]

I have a de-humidifier in the room, and 2 fans on each side of the room to keep the air flowing. I have a consistent 55-60% humidity, and I watersealed the wood prior to final construction. I think I will be fine. I check on my snakes at least 5 times a day, if I notice any mold/mildew I will take them out immediatley. I dont think anyone could comprehend how much I care for these animals, so trust me when I say I did my research on this project before I built it. I was looking into buying Vision or RB, but I found to be a better solution due to me having the tools for it.

Thanks for your concern, and I will keep my eyes open.

[moravaguy]

i like it! and if the peg board does mold up i bet there is a plastc sheet that has holes like peg board, but if you sealed it it should be good to go

[WakoNako]

I use pegboard in my custom cages for ventiation. Once sealed its good to go.

[NotaMallard]

Really nice--actually, is there a way you could tell me the measurements and materials? I'd like to make a rack similar to that one time or another. What did you use to seal?

[Chuckels]

Get Pegboard cut to 16.5" x 23". Get a bundle of 2x2's (9 Total) and (5) 1x2's for the tub guides. They are 28QT Sterlite Tubs. Youll need 3" Wood Screws, and 1 1/4" Wood screws to screw the pegboard onto the 2x2's. Cut (10) 20" Sections of 2x2's and (10) 16.5" sections of 2x2's. The Support Beams are 41" 2x2's. Cut (8) 1x2" for the tub guides that sit on top of the 2x2's you attach to the pegboard. Thats all the cuts that you have to do.

I had Home Depot cut the pegboard, and remember when you get that cut, they have to compensate for the blade width. I prefer a snug fit for my tubs, so I have about a 1/16" space inbetween the tubs and the pegboard.

I used Thompson's Water Sealant to seal the wood. I let it dry for 36 hours, then assembled it all together.

Make sure you predrill your holes before you screw in or else your wood will split. You can buy pre-sealed wood, but its a tad more expensive.

Keep in mind that this is a rough draft build, and it pretty much came from my head. There are plans online for other racks, but I just sort of looked at it and made my own design.

All together, tubs included, it should only run you about $55-65 to make this depending on your lumber pricing. The tubs I have were only $2 a piece, but I get them tax free and they were on sale at the Navy Exchange.

Im constructing a hatchling rack very soon, 10 tubs, and I will post a picture of it if you'd like and somewhat of a summary of how I built it.

[cstruthers]

Do you have it back heated or what?

[Chuckels]

My room is ambient at 88 Degrees F, I use a small heat pad under the back end of the tub for a hotspot of about 92-94 Degrees. Humidity inside the tubs is at 55% at the moment, my room usually stays about 50% on average with a +/- 5-6%.